16 May 2012

Freedom to Marry - for Servicemembers - IMPORTANT

Many people assume that with the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't
Tell," gay and lesbian service members are finally being treated fairly
and equally. But they're not.

The so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) forces the military to treat
legally married gay and lesbian service members and their families differently
from straight service members and their families -- denying these military
families crucial support and protection provided to all other married couples.

Last week, President Obama talked about the unfairness of gay service members
fighting to defend our country, while being denied the freedom to marry or the
recognition of their marriages. It is a contradiction that compelled him to
support marriage equality.

Today, Freedom to Marry and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) are
launching Freedom to
Serve, Freedom to Marry, a new multimedia campaign highlighting the
stories of military families harmed by federal marriage discrimination.

Watch the first
video that demonstrates a powerful and emotional timeline of how DOMA is
hurting a military family:

In the coming weeks and months, SLDN and Freedom
to Marry will put forward other stories that show the real harms of DOMA to
actual military families, including denial of health insurance, survivor
benefits, and spousal access to military housing.

These military stories underscore the powerful case Freedom to Marry and SLDN
are making together: DOMA must be overturned and the federal government must
respect marriages legally recognized in the states.